Chapter 141: A Respite From Adventuring III (1/2)

『Put 100g of water and 8g of baking soda into the pot, indeed』

「Understood」

I followed Yukikaze's instructions with one hand.

『Boil until all the bubbles disappear』

「Got it」

We were working in the spacious~ kitchen.

The water with baking soda is bubbling like crazy. Is this going to become something edible, I wonder?

『By boiling down the sodium bicarbonate in water, it will change into something extremely similar to the sodium carbonate in brine』

「Something extremely similar? Which means that it's not exactly the same as brine?」

『That’s unknown. To begin with, all matter in the alternate world have parts of their composition that cannot be analyzed. To see what effects the unknown parts have, team member Souya, you must experience it for yourself』

「So you're telling me to experiment with it by eating and experiencing it for myself………」

『The water in the pot has come to a boil, indeed. Prepare 200g of wheat flour』

「Understood」

I portioned out 200g of wheat flour by eye.

『Mix with the boiled baking soda water and knead』

Well, I guess kneading it into wheat flour isn't that big of a deal.

I took off my triangular bandage and washed my hands. After drying them thoroughly, I mixed the baking soda water with the wheat flour and started kneading.

The process was the same as when making beastkin bread.

『That should be good enough. Roll it up into a ball and let it rest』

「For how long?」

『About an hour. This can be shortened if it’s kept in an environment that’s warmer but won't dry it out too much』

After wrapping the rolled-up dough in my triangular bandage, I exited the kitchen.

I went to the worshiping area and placed the dough near the bonfire.

At the back of the bonfire, vegetables and dried fish were being roasted on skewers. At least they were in a position where they couldn't be seen from the entrance or the street.

Food roasted using the object of worship. Does it give the food any special properties, I wonder?

While waiting, I asked an old lady next to me for some grilled eggplant. I ate it after sprinkling a little bit of salt on it, and it was juicy and delicious.

The old lady and I made idle conversation, but it was too idle to stick in my memory.

30 minutes later, I returned to the kitchen after being prompted to by Yukikaze.

I used a rolling pin to roll out the dough then cut it into fine strips of about the same thickness. When I fluffed them apart, they gave off the unique smell of Chinese noodles.

At the very least, the smell seems right.

『Let them rest for another 30 minutes』

「Alright」

Time to wait some more.

I engaged in small talk with Yukikaze.

「You know, Yukikaze……」

『Yes?』

「There's something that's been bothering me this whole time」

『What is it?』

「Both Tyutyu and Lanseal tend to show a lot of openings, but their guard is so tight only for that one place, so I was never able to find out for sure」

『And what are you talking about?』

I used my hands to mimic having ears on top of my head.

「For beastkin with ears on top of their heads, what about the part where human ears would normally be?」

『That’s what’s been bothering you, huh?』

Not all beastkin have ears on top of their heads. The reptilian and avian beastkin, as well as the fishmen, have ears that are shaped differently from human ears. However, beastkin with ears on top of their heads, such as Lanseal and Tyutyu, always cover the area where human ears would be with their hair. As best as I can remember, this is true of all the beastkin I've seen so far.

I'm curious.

Do they also have normal human ears or not?

『They have them, normal human ears』

「Eh, they do?」

『When Yukikaze stumbled upon Lanseal-sama bathing, Yukikaze saw it. She has human ears. And on that note, based on the scans Yukikaze has done, the animal ears on the top of the head don't have inner ears』

「They don’t have them?」

Huh, admittedly, I have not noticed any holes or anything like that in them, but what does it mean when they don't have inner ears? Then the animal ears actually can't hear anything? ………………Hmm? That's weird. Lanseal and the other beastkin's ears clearly react to sounds. Or is that just for show? No, I can't make any sense of it.

『Those ears are just ornaments with blood and nerves running through them. But they do work as sensory organs. As evidence, the hearing of dog and cat beastkin is several times better than that of normal humans. It's mysterious. Or rather, Yukikaze doesn't understand the mechanism behind it. Further observation is necessary, indeed』

「I kinda want to touch them now」

Be it with Tyutyu, Lanseal, or Regure, I had my chances, but the timing was never right. In retrospect, it was such a shame.

『That's true. The best way to experience anything is to touch it, indeed』

「Also――――」

I discussed with Yukikaze the various doubts I had about the alternate world.

My doubts only deepened and I ended up with even more questions than before.

Next thing I knew, 30 minutes had passed.

「Now all that's left is to boil it」

『That’s right, indeed』

I boiled the noodles in a large pot of water.

I was somewhat apprehensive, so I boiled them for a bit longer.

After 7 minutes, I drained the water and transferred the noodles onto a plate. I took a fearful bite……